Dear MarkUptown,

Dental problems, car accident, what's the difference?

Cathal once told me: if you haven't dined in the tasting room here, you've only had 50% of the experience. He's right. As many times as I've been to Eve, I still hadn't done this, and it changes your entire perception of the restaurant. The tasting room at Restaurant Eve is a wonderful experience, featuring course-after-course of local and seasonal ingredients, and with service as good as any in town.

Cheers,
Rocks.

P.S. Regarding the wine: I took one whiff and got Band-Aid in the nose, blurted out "Pauillac," but then quickly changed my guess to a Cabernet Sauvignon from Switzerland since it was heavyhanded and smelled lactic, just like a Tete de Moine cheese. The wine ended up becoming more viscous in the glass after my somewhat feeble guess, and probably could have only been a new-world Zin or Shiraz in retrospect.

Tuesday night my wife and I celebrated our anniversary with a spectacular meal in the tasting room at Restaurant Eve. Everything was fantastic from start to finish. Some of the highlights were…

Corn Nut Crusted Maine Diver’s Scallop with Corn Tamale – A perfectly seared scallop encrusted in house-made corn nuts (!).

“A Wolf in Lamb’s Clothing” – This dish consisted of a piece of Wolffish set atop a lamb-filled ravioli. My wife reluctantly shared this dish with me.

Gnocchi with Oven Dried Tomatoes and Spring Arugula – this may have been the star of the night. As our waitress said, “who would have guessed that an Irishman can make such darn-good gnocchi”. The tomatoes and arugula did not overpower the gnocchi; instead, it served as a light sauce to showcase the gnocchi. Hats off to Chef Cathal for this dish.

Four Styles of Artichokes – My wife was surprised at how much she enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the different preparations, but they were darn good (I know that is not much help).

Cheese Course – Eve has a very nice selection of cheeses, many of which come from Cheesetique in Alexandria. We each got to choose 3 different cheeses. The absolute best was the Epoisse De Bourgogne, which the menu describe as “Herby, Stinky and Fruity”. Who knew something that smells like feet could taste so good! This cheese was runny, gooey, and stinky, but absolutely delicious.

Oh yeah, the Apricot Baked Alaska and the Chocolate Souffle were terrific, but repeated heavy-handed wine pourings prevents me from remembering specifics. We chose the wine pairings with our meal and Todd certainly did not disappoint. The standout wines included the Robert Sinsky Cabernet Franc, as well as the Domaine Du Mas Blanc, which paired remarkably well with the Chocolate Souffle.

Thanks again to Chef Cathal, Todd Thrasher, and the rest of the staff for such a remarkable evening.

I don't really want to go over the whole course by course experience, now that I have a few moments to go in to more detail. But I'd rate the whole experience just 'good'.

Seriously.

It is a nice place. It's well designed and tastefully designed. We were well attended to. The food was good. But....just 'good'.

We ate in the Tasting Room. Our 2-top was a little too close to the next two-top for comfortable conversation until the room filled with a bit more noise. The table itself was a bit long, which was welcome for both of us as we are long legged, but it further hindered close conversation.

The food, well, we opted for a 9-course tasting things. It was good. Especially the first scallops course. But after that, well, it was just OK. Don't get me wrong, the food was good. But not wow food to me. Nowhere near. I'd heard this place had been compared to Palena for its seasonality and creativity. This is a rung below Palena, IMHO.

What I look for in a truly wonderful dining experience is well, there's a lot. A nice room, that is not too noisy. The tables are reasonably far apart enough from each other that allows each table its conversations to be at least somewhat private. I expect it to be nicely appointed. I expect the service to be attentive but not too attentive. I prefer a BYOW friendly restaurant, but I can live with a well-chosen and reasonably marked up menu (with a few 'easter eggs' for those with a bit of knowledge can find on the list). And I want the food to rock. I like the food to taste amazing, with layers of flavors and textures and smells -- ideally in a way that best accentuates the ingredients (not overly complex, mind you, or trying too hard either). Not every meal has to do this for me, but when I go out to a very nice meal, I try to choose places that I hope I can experience what I have just described.

My RE experience just did not execute on all of these levels.

It was a reasonably good dinner. But the QPR on it was somewhat not as good as I had hoped (even factoring the wine out of the equation).

For me, I'll probably not go back but not because of just this one experience (only partly so). I live in Laurel and this is a bit of a drive for me. If it truly was great, I'd drive almost any distance. But this wasn't that amazing to me. Each restaurant is different and each restaurant has different ideas of what they want to be and to achieve. Restaurant Eve was good, just not good enough for me to make the trek again most likely.

(made some minor edits -- I have food course comments coming soon (which I will post separately), as I was waiting for Cathal's chat to end per DR's request).

IMHO, though Palena is a very good restaurant which we will visit on occasion, particularly because of the proximity to home (5 minutes), we'll gladly continue to trek across the river to Eve where the food always dazzles with fresh LOCAL, seasonal ingredients and creative, amazing preparation. [Cathal and Nathan -- you guys ROCK!] As for SERVICE, while efficient and pleasant at Palena, it pales in comparison to that of EVE, particularly in the tasting room.

This Saturday, the Tasting Room at Eve -- I can't wait!

-Camille

OK...I suppose it is OK now for me to post my comments about the food at my recent experience at RE (now that the chat is over). My comments are not meant to slam RE or their staff or owners or chefs, etc. My comments are merely what they are. Take them for what they are -- just my own humble opinion. You mileage may vary.

I think I have already commented that the food was good. I think I have already commented that the service was good as well as comments about the room (a bit too noisy, the tables just a tad too close together, the tables themselves a bit too long (so as to hinder conversation where you could actually talk with each other). All that aside....here goes.

I do not remember every exact course as I did not get a copy of the menu nor did I take notes. But here we go ----- The amuse bouchee sampler was quite nice, tasty and inventive. Lost of nice and fresh tastes. The first course was a scallops thing that was probably the course of the night for me. Just great. There was a spring onion veloutte(?)/soup, that was nice, but nothing really special. I opted to pay the supplement to get the foie gras course and this was nice, too, perhaps better than most of the other courses, but it did not really wow me either. Still, good. There was a fish with jasmine-'sticky' rice that was probably the least desirable (to me) course of the night. The rice was not sticky, but perhaps that is why it was in quotes. The fish was barely warm and it was a bit flavorless and too sweet. Actually, a lot of the courses that we had that evening struck me as too sweet overall. I am not sure why, but that does resonate with me. Why did a lot of the stuff border on being too sweet (or actually cross that border)? Hmm. There was an acceptable quail stuffed with a foie and mushroom thing and it was tasty enough, and it was prepared well enough, but it failed to really make me revel in the food experience. There was also a gnocchi thing (I can't remember if it was on its own or as a side to something else) which was good. Still no wow, but good enough. I know we had a lobster cremem brulee thing in there as well and that was tasty. I also forgot about the drinks we had to stat the night. My wife had a very nice Sidecar (not the best she has ever had, but well made and tasty nonetheless) and I had a, what was it called 'Modern Gibson' or something like that which was just OK.

I guess I went in expecting something.....different. The foodstuffs were fresh and were largely put together capably. The flavor combos generally worked (except for the general sweetness of things), but there was no real thing there that made me want to rave about the place. Except for maybe the scallops. Everything else about the experience was good enough, too. But I'd say that, based on this one experience, returning there is not a high priority for me. Perhaps choosing my courses next time might be the way to go if/when I go back... While I'll probably eventually go back to try things out again, I am not in any rush to do so.

A couple of remarks regarding some things currenlty on Eve's tasting menu:

1. Sweet Corn Veloutte-main ingredient: crack cocaine
2. Rabbit Sampler-main ingredient: ambrosia
3. Escolar with fingerling potatoes and haricot vert-main ingredient: unobtainium
4. Squab with "little pocket of treasures"-main ingredients: nectar of the gods
5. Chocolate Souffle w/milk cholcolate sauce-main ingredient-heroin
6. Limoncello cocktail-main ingredient-synthetic codiene

I'd love to write a full description of our experience last night, but I don't have enough words!

We had our engagement party there last night, and from start to finish, the evening was a smashing success! We were told time and time again that it was the best meal that our guests had ever had -- ever from those who had been to Eve with us before!

We started with fabulous canapes and the new plum cocktail -- as one of our guests said, this cocktail could be dangerous! It's sweet without being cloying, fruity without being annoying. It's, in a word, lovely. The canapes were (and I'm not nearly doing them justice! Help, tripewriter!) great: a thin, flaky cracker with anchovy and a creamy lemon sauce was tart and salty, a partridge thingy (there's a real word, but my mind's erased it) on a paper-thin slice of crisp sweet potato was earthy, and my particular favorite, the deviled quail's egg on brioche with caviar (!) was irresistable -- salty, creamy, crispy. Yum.

We started with a lobster bisque in beautiful hand-painted bowls -- just right, with basil oil floating (in wee little drops) on top. I have to take a moment here to talk about the square, salted onion bread. Oh. My. It was superb -- we could (and did) eat it piece by piece by piece by...the rolls were also lovely (buttery and crispy...yum), but the onion bread...wow.

Second we had the olive-oil-poached escolar (with the ham vinaigrette! Who thinks of ham vinaigrette? A genius!) -- tender and succulent, with lovely lima beans and fingerling potatoes.

Third was an astounding dish: Shafer Farm roasted venison with spinach, huckleberries, and a chestnut custard. Wow. I had my "perfect bite" during this dish, where it's just the right amount of everything and everything melds and blends and is just...well...perfect! Lovely.

Then we had a cheese selection, and we swear that someone at Cheesetique gave us away! We had the remarkable green yak cheese (also good on chili and soup!), brie de meaux, and stilton...the bread they served with the cheeses was also delish, with nuts and (I believe?) golden raisins, but for me the most outstanding part of this course was the cardamom-soaked dried apricot. Wow -- what a flavor!!! Delectable.

We ended the meal with the figs with honey ricotta custard...yum. Not too sweet (and not too crunchy!), but just right.

A plate of what looked to be delectable tiny tastes finished the meal -- I didn't get to try many, but rumor has it that they were all fantastic.

All in all, possibly the best night -- and the best dinner party -- I've ever had. The food was, obviously, superb, and the staff were outstanding -- friendly, helpful, supremely knowledgeable...lovely. I was struck in particular with how kind and careful they were with our guests' special needs and requests -- no hint of anything but helpfulness and professionalism!

In summary, if you're looking for a place to have a special dinner, you can't get more special than the tasting room at Restaurant Eve. Thanks to all for a truly memorable evening!

(PS: The scary thing is, our guests kept coming up to us and saying, "Well, if this is the engagement party, what's the wedding going to be like?!" Uh oh! )

Ok, take a close look at this photo:

Click to view attachment

Remember what you saw and make sure that you order it the next time you visit Eve. This heaven-on-a-plate just happens to be seared fois gras wrapped in brioche with fois gras terrine and figs.... oh. my. god.

I don't know what this is (or will be) called but it's pretty much the most decadent thing you can possibly put in your mouth. (no comments from Rocks, please )

After reading all about the fabulous dinners that so many of you have had- I'm finally going to the Tasting Room tonight. I've been couting down the hours all day!

Wife and I are going to the tasting room for our anniversary next week. Anyone know what the tasting menu looks like or what Thrasher is cooking up in the basement?

I think the menu changes frequently (daily?) so you will have to wait and see.

My wife and I celebrated our second anniversary in the tasting room last night. What an experience. In lieu of a blow-by-blow, here are some assorted thoughts:

1. We arrived 45 minutes early with the expectation of sitting at the bar. However, the bar was packed and our table happened to be available, so we sat immediately and had cocktails at the table. The Yin and Tonic was more than I thought a gin and tonic could be. So good.

2. Todd Thrasher is a force of nature. He is a virtuoso with wine selection. (I, though not my pint-sized wife, had wine pairings.) While we were waiting for our cheese course to arrive, I heard him ask our waitress what cheeses we had ordered. She told him, and he knew exactly what bottle to go for. Presenting it to me, he explained in detail how the wine complemented the (highly pungent) cheeses I'd chosen. Just as impressively, Thrasher was as likely as anyone else to be the one to clear the plates from our table. He's friendly and unstuffy, and totally refreshing.

3. Same goes for the entire service experience. There were no missed beats. Timing was perfect. Early on, I thought they were, perhaps, going too fast in moving us from course to course. I soon realized, though, that their pace was dictated by ours, and it was really difficult to slow down when everything tasted so damned good.

4. My hot courses were lobster creme brulee; escolar; and tripe. (We each did the 5-course.) The lobster creme brulee and tripe were new experiences for me. Call me boring, but the escolar was my favorite. It was so tender that the merest pressure of my fork broke it to pieces.

5. Each course looks small on the plate, but it's a bunch of food when aggregated. Early on, I wondered whether it would be enough. By the end, though, we were saying "No mas! No mas!", and we had them box up our petits-fours. I remember someone in one of the recent restaurant chats complained about the huge size of portions at Eve. I certainly wouldn't complain, but I also agree that they add up.

6. As anniversary presents, we got a little bag of ground coffee and a bag of scone mix. I half-expected the coffee based on others' experiences, but the scone mix was a surprise. Now I have to get my wife to make the scones, because I would do them no justice, I'm sure.

Truly memorable.

On our 5-course evening, we came in it just under 3 hours -- probably 2.75 hours. (I have to estimate because, by that time, the combination of food-based euphoria and wine pairing-induced lethargy had really kicked in.) And, while I didn't feel like we were hurrying, I didn't feel like we were taking our sweet time either. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, they seem to base the timing of the courses at least in part on your own timing. After the first couple courses, we realized we were wolfing them down like animals and we tried to slow down. It is really hard to slow down when it tastes so fricking good though.

You should be fine with 3 1/2 hours for the 9-course menu. We went back in May and were seated around 8:00 (maybe a little later because we had a drink in the bar) and were finished up by 11:30 (at latest). We not only did 9 courses but added the wine pairing too - maybe not the wisest choice on a Monday evening.

No matter - the meal was outstanding and will remain a fond memory of a special birthday celebration.

am i a ventworm yet???

Tasting room for me in a little over a week. Cannot wait to see what Chef Armstrong has in store.

Currently the 9-course tasting menu highlights white truffles so something to look forward to next week.

Hello everyone! We ate in the Tasting Room last Thursday evening. Pics and review of our experience are available following the link. We should have reviewed the DR board more fully and ordered mixed drinks! Ah well, something to look forward to next time.

Tarting It Up: Restaurant Eve Review

Just read your entertaining review. We were there two days before you and ordered almost identical menus. I agree with you about the escolar: mind-blowing. I enjoyed the lobster creme brulee more than you though. (Did you get the "special instructions from the chef" about eating it? (Combining all three components onto every forkful?))

(And don't worry too much about the MPRE! The curve is, indeed, generous. But if anxiety about the MPRE got you into the Eve Tasting Room, then be glad it didn't seem easy!)

Welcome to donrockwell.com Tartinka.

I thought our server told us explicitly to eat the three items separately, but I could very well have misheard (mishearing such instructions is becoming my new specialty). In fact, looking back...hmmm...eating lobster reduction WITH something else certainly makes sense, doesn't it. I'll have to try it that way next time.

I also enjoyed your review - welcome!

I wasn't so sure about sweetbreads myself - but Chef Armstrong made a believer out of me! His preparation is wonderful - give it a try some time. Of course I may have been spoiled for anyone else's preparation , but I'm so glad I took the 'risk' and tried them!

Taking my boyfriend to Eve for his birthday in a few weeks -- I'm leaning toward the Tasting Menu, but what I've read of the Bistro menu sounds amazing as well. Which would you pick? Thanks.

Like Cathal said to me one night, "unless you've eaten in the Tasting Room, you've only had half the experience." He's right. I love the bar at Eve (and go there often), but for a special occasion, it's the Tasting Room for me.

Thanks all -- I just made our reservation for the Tasting Room in a few weeks. I can't wait! Unfortunately, we couldn't get a Saturday reservation so will have to settle for Friday (we generally like to go out on Saturdays so we are well-rested from the week), but I'm sure it'll be a wonderful experience regardless!

Just think of it as a wonderful start to the weekend

Seriously, even if you arrive frazzled and frustrated, my experience has been that you will leave relaxed and happy...

If you decide to go with the 5-course instead of the 9-course menu, keep in mind that items on the 9-course menu can be substituted in on the 5-course. I was there a couple of days ago and ordered the 5-course menu but for my 1st course I had the OOO off of the 9-course menu.

PS: OOO is a puff pastry with an Onion sabyon, Oysters and Osetra caviar. Also, the venison was so f'ing good I could hardly f'ing believe it. And the Shea pinot noir was very tastey.

"Camille" and I dined in the tasting room a couple of weeks ago during the white truffle period. Among other excellent dishes, we had what can only be called (and should be called) "BFRE," as in the Best [insert your own, favorite "F" word here] Risotto Ever!!!! It was creamy and rich, earthy (because of a dome of white truffle shavings on top of it), and tangy (due to the perfect amount of Parmesan cheese that had been mixed into it) ... The rice, too, was cooked to just the right moment of doneness. Not a second too long or too short -- sheer perfection. What an experience!

Thanks Chef for an overall marvelous meal and this special treat.


Beau

The white truffle menu is still available (or at least it was last Friday) in the Tasting Room.

ETA: More info...
Took the GF out for her birthday dinner in the Tasting Room last Friday night and it was exceptional. Highlights for me included: The small dish of brandade that was part of the canapes. Tripe (braised in veal stock and cider for over 40 hours) served with housemade merguez sausage. This is a hearty dish perfect for this cold and wet weather. If this is on the bistro menu do yourself a favor and order it. I was also able to score a bite of the venison dish that JG was raving about and it was delicious.

Service was wonderful and not only did Mr. Thrasher pour some delicious wines, he even brought over a truffle he was showing to a couple at another table. Of course it was just to ogle, but it did smell heavenly. I still cannot believe that he was able to get it out of the kitchen.

Saturday in the TR. Shhh!

A surprise dish in the tasting room last Saturday -- called "Cassoulet Espanol" -- consisted of duck confit, cassoulet beans, boudin noir and serrano chilis for a very spicy kick. Superb!

We're introducing my parents to the fabulousness that is Eve tonight -- tasting room...mmmmm...anything in particular we should be looking out for? Is the Pepperming Paddy still available? Can't wait!

Any preparation containing venision is likely to be outstanding. Also, if goose is available, go for it. Peppermint Paddy, iffy. If no peppermint paddies, see if they have cidercars available.

And in lieu of either the Peppermint Paddy or Cidercar, try the mulled wine

Tripe!

Please report back, as I will be in the tasting room tomorrow night!

Our evening in the Tasting Room was an unmitigated parental hit! First, the servers remembered us from our previous appearances (I'm hoping that's a good thing!) and asked how we were doing, when we're getting married (we held our engagement dinner there), etc. -- VERY warm and welcoming. It felt like coming home We started with hors d'oeuvres -- a miniturrine with cod with cream and butter and garlic (wow -- rich and very hot [temperature-wise] and just perfect), a fried mushroom presentation that knocked my socks off, and one of our favorites, the deviled quails egg on brioche with caviar. A trio of perfection! Then we had a gift from the chef (Thanks, Cathal!) -- a winter squash veloute that I just fell head over heels for. I was threatening to go steal the pot from the kitchen -- it was amazing. Rich and hot and perfectly flavored, it was one of the best things I may have ever eaten! For starters, my dad got the boudin noir -- he said that Eve is the sort of place that if you're not sure about something (e.g., tripe, sweetbreads, etc.), you should try it here, because you'll never find it nicer anywhere else. At any rate, he said it was very good -- no regrets! My mom had the lobster creme brulee and loved every bite -- even the baby fennel, about which she had reservations when ordering. Craig had the foie gras en croute and was too busy savoring to talk much about it. I had the parsnip tartlet with 100-year-old balsamic vinegar. I enjoyed it, but if I had to choose again, I probably would have gone with the lobster. The tartlet was pleasant but not -- to me -- exciting.

Three of us had the gnocchi for the next course -- astounding. The gnocchi themselves were not at fluffy as, say, the lemon version Cathal paired earlier with the butter-poached lobster, but the leeks, I think they were, were transcendent, and the shaved black truffle was a real treat. The scent of this dish alone was a beautiful, beautiful thing The nongnocchian got something that I'm not remembering right now I'll update this post if I remember...

For the "main," three of us got the venison, and my mom got the goose -- she'd never had Christmas goose before. She liked it very much, but I think she wasn't expecting, for whatever reason, for it to be so much like duck. She cleaned her plate, though, and was smiling the whole time. The venison was fabulous. It was perfectly cooked, and the accompaniment (drawing a blank, unfortunately) was divine -- the Roquefort was an amazing touch, and even I, who am not a big fan of blue cheese, thought it was a highlight of the dish. It was perfect with the venison. Mom's foie gras brussels sprouts were a real hit with her -- unfortunately, none were shared!

We decided, there being four of us, to get the entire cheese plate. It was a lovely selection, and I think my mom in particular was surprised by some of the ones she liked. She in particular enjoyed the Shropshire blue. I loved the Dutch-Irish cheese, and the brie de meaux disappeared rather quickly. The Roquefort was also enjoyed. They were out of the Ewe 4 O, but they gave us larger slices of the eleven (!) cheeses they did have. Unfortunately, we were unable to finish all the cheese, but the delicious bread, quince paste, fig with almonds, and, of course, cardamom-soaked apricots, somehow disappeared...

Another gift from the chef followed -- orange custard with a slice of shortbread. I do not generally like oranges -- childhood trauma -- but I devoured every scrap of this custard. Yum.

For dessert, we all had different selections. My mom got the warm spice cake with quince. She says that it was nice -- though perhaps not her favorite course. Dad had the pineapple upside-down cake with coconut ice cream -- wonderful. Craig had the tangerine tartlet, and I bowed to my deepest desires and got the birthday cake -- which now comes in a little individual cake! It was charming And rich! Lots of frosting...

We saw the chocolate souffles being prepared at the table next to us -- terribly tempting! They poke a little hole in the souffle and pour some type of cream sauce in...definitely a choice for next time.

Finally, when we could pretty much eat no more, there was a little selection of cookies. You'll understand how sated we were when I tell you that neither I nor my mother could finish the final chocolate truffle...sigh...

Todd was his charming self -- shoe trouble notwithstanding -- and brought us a very, very pleasing bottle of pinot noir. I didn't get close enough to the bottle to photograph it, so it's lost to the sands of time (and my bad memory), but it was...perfect. He also brought a Taille...something -- a dessert wine similar to a port -- for my dad and Craig. It was very, very nice -- Craig detected some currants, and it was perfectly suited to what we were devouring.

We tottered home, sated, happy, and with wonderful memories, at about midnight (!).

It may sound cheesy, but once again, Eve gave us a meal with exquisite food, personable yet professional service, wines to make you happy, and memories to cherish

The end.

That about sums it up.

This post is long overdue.

The Tasting Room at Restaurant Eve is such a wonderful experience. I only wish my wallet would allow me to return more often. The Friday before New Year’s Eve my wife took me to the Tasting Room for my birthday. I would hardly consider myself a “regular” there. Nevertheless, it is always nice to walk into a restaurant and be greeted by people who remember you from prior visits. My wife and I were originally planning to order the 5 course tasting menu, as we have previously ordered the 9 course menu and discovered that it is a massive amount of food. I glanced over at the 9-course menu and started reading each of the courses: oysters, lobster, gnocchi, tuna, sweetbreads, venison, cheese, spice cake, chocolate “brownie”. Each course sounded better than the previous, so I loosened my belt a couple of notches and we ordered the 9-course menu. I also got the wine pairings.

Todd came by shortly afterwards and told us that chef Cathal was going to play with our menu a bit. Basically, one of us would get a course as written on the menu, while the other would get the main ingredient per the menu, but with a different preparation. We said that was fine, to which Todd replied, “Good. Not that you have a choice.” This bit of culinary whimsy certainly kept Todd on his toes, as he had to anticipate the preparation, pick the appropriate wine, and guess which preparation would be given to my wife or me. Other than occasionally having to switch the wine glasses put in front of us, Todd did an extraordinary job of keeping up with Cathal. In addition, the rest of the staff did not miss a beat in describing the off-menu preparations. This also made for great anticipation. Even the table next to us couldn't wait to see what kind of preparations were coming our way.

I wish that I could give more detail about the different preparations, but many glasses of wine have cluttered my memory. All I know is that that fabulous food and great service will keep us coming back to Restaurant Eve.

With treatment like that, how can you not?

Dinner in the Tasting Room on Saturday night: Throwing caution to the wind , we accepted our server's suggestion to leave the driving to Chef Armstrong for our five courses. Best recommendation I have heard in many years! Following our amuse of mushroom beignets, chicken pot pies served in tiny cast-iron pots, and deviled quail egg topped by osetra caviar -- each amuse now being presented separately -- we began our meal with a velvety lobster bisque that included melt-in-your mouth claw meat. We then moved on to a seared scallop atop faux (potato) risotto. The creaminess of the scallop plays quite nicely with the Chef's faux risotto. Shavings of black truffles completed the dish. We next had a fabulous surprise -- the real risotto (see our posting on the BFRE), again topped with truffle shavings. Suffice it to say, this is a really fabulous dish in which Chef combines the decadent richness of the risotto with just the right amount of tang supplied by incorporated Parmesan cheese. There were apparently a few more truffles left, so again this dish was adorned with large, pungent truffle flakes. (Note to Chef: please keep us in mind the next time you feel the need to clean out the truffle closet). Chef Armstrong then sent out a dish he just "whipped up" -- truffled scrambled eggs topped by butter poached lobster. My God that was awesome. The textures were fantastic, the lobster was tender (and rich, rich, rich) and the eggs cooked just to a creamy consistency. A plate of melt-in-your mouth shortribs (BFSE!), infused with the flavor of the burgundy truffles in which they were braised, rounded out our main course adventure. A composed cheese course, accented by decorative sprinkles of 100-year old balsamic, and dessert of sabayon tartlet followed.

I've done my best to remember the meal. Todd Thrasher took it as a personal challenge to pair fabulous wines with the meal, so if I have left anything out, it's Todd's fault.

My hubby and I became a fan of Restaurant Eve since they opened.
Food is always fabulous and service is great. Having a bistro and a tasting room separately is also wonderful strategic idea to draw customers.
We know most staff there... Chef Cathal, sweet Meshelle, rooster hair Todd, gorgeous Brandy, smoothy Torrence, la belle Margaret, nice Anice and so on.
(please pardon me I forgot some staff's names but they are all included here)

What I want to tell you is that we had a weird experience there on New Year's eve.


We (My hubby, me and his friend) were at the tasting room.
My hubby and his friend ordered wine pairing with the course.
(I am not a good drinker but I enjoy so I decided to sip his wines)
We could see all the staff were extremely busy on that day.
In the middle of course, they've got gewurtztraminer paired with food and my hubby didn't like the wine because it was too sweet. (He likes dry wine)
He told Todd that the wine was too sweet and Todd answered us that that is the best wine among the pairing. I felt the nuance as "what are you talking about? the wine is the best!" We expected he could replace some other wine but we didn't get anything. People who went Restaurant Eve probably know that Todd visits his serving area and has a short chat with customers. Later on, he shortly stopped by for pouring wine, explained what wine it is and left. No more chatting with us but with other tables. We didn't know what hurt his feeling.
At the dessert course we got great sauternes. Unfortunately, I finished it and he wanted it more.
He asked the wait staff if he could get a little bit of sauternes but somehow there was a miscommunication and he didn't get it. I thought he deserved it because we are the enthusiastic patron there.

Food was fabulous as usual.
I left there with bittersweet feeling.
My hubby wrote an email to Meshelle about this.
Oh, my sweet Meshelle, (I like her very much)
she replied the next day, apologized and she would let Todd see the email.
We still didn't hear from him.
And we made a reservation for Valentines Day.

P.S. Please pardon my English.. I am not native here. I hope you understand what I wanted to tell you.

Made our first trip to Restaurant Eve last night, since my birthday is on the 14th we always go out the weekend before. V-day is not a good day to go out for dinner. We had a 5:30 reservation, I was not happy with this when my wife told me, as this was quite early but it worked out because of the weather. We were in the tasting room until around 9pm, and we enjoyed every moment, except for a somewhat rowdy table of eight held up at a corner table. Some highlights:

We arrived a little before 5:30 and we were led to bar, we both ordered the Seasonal Cocktail which was a Pomegranate Vodka Drink, (I don’t remember the name) the seeds were muddled together with limes and sugar, a very good fresh tasting cocktail.

After about 30 min our table was ready, and we headed to the tasting room. We were presented with three amuse’s: Deviled quail eggs with caviar, a mushroom beignet, and very tasty mini chicken pot pie. We decided to go with the 5 course menu with wine parings. It did not disappoint.

Our choices:

First Course
Pigs feet hoagie: Very good creative dish, a mini hoagie roll with a morsel of pig’s feet and sweetbreads served with cabbage.

Lobster Crème brulee: My wife enjoyed this, but noted the Crème Brulee did not taste of lobster I agreed after tasting, however the other components of the dish were great.

Second Course:

Risotto with black Truffles: Simple but excellent dish. I think it was a veal stock that added so much flavor.

Monk Fish: Although I loved my Risotto, this is the dish I wished I had ordered. It consisted of Monk Fish, Prawns, Clams, and mussels.

Third Course:

We both ordered the Lamb with celery root three ways, and lamb kidneys. We both enjoyed.

Fourth Course:

This was a cheese course. I would have preferred a simple selection of cheeses; however they offered something a little different. I had stilton flan, with puff pastry stuffed with caramelized onions, and my wife ordered the fondue (I forget the cheese) served with brioche. These were both creative, but did not blow me away.

Fifth Course:

Chocolate Soufflé for me- Classic and good

Spice Cake for the wife-

I did not remember any of the wines we had, but they all matched really well with our selections. The paring was $55 and included Champagne to start. We finished with coffee and as a birthday gift Restaurant Eve gave us a sample of the house coffee and a bag of scone mix.

We will return soon, to try the bistro. I thought the service was good, although at times uneven. By far this is the best food you can get in old town.

For those of you dining in the tasting room tomorrow evening, news flash: braised hog's head. You heard that right, braised hog's head. It's unbelievably tasty. A disk about the size and shape of a barroom shuffleboard puck on a bed of braised cabbage laced with a smidgen of cumin in a puddle of sauce. The meat has been crisped on the outside and is luscious on the inside for an interesting texture contrast. Topped with a sunny-side-up quail egg. Order it, you will not be disappointed. If you happen to be in the bistro, try to con them out of an order for an appetizer.

It's one of those things that you have never seen before and likely will never see again. Get it while you can.

Todd Thrasher's got a new juicer!

We found that out when he offered us small glasses of his newest creation as a palate cleanser after our venison last night. I think the cocktail is called "Andrea's Carrots": carrot juice (Davoncrest carrots), tangerine juice, Lillet, coconut rum, rosemary simple syrup, and a granite made from the two juices. Although I usually eschew cocktails in favor of wine, this was definitely something I would order before or during a meal.

This was our first visit to the Tasting Room. We had the best table in the room, tucked in the corner next to the fireplace. We had a great view of everything, but we could still carry on a conversation. I found out this morning that Camille-Beau took over that table after we left (we had the 5:30 seating; they had the 9:30). We chose the 9-course Chef's Degustation, which was indeed a great deal of food, but about the same quantity as other similar menus.

I won't belabor the details of the menu, as those are mentioned upthread. Mr. S clearly enjoyed last night's dinner--he talked about returning to try the 5-course menu and the Bistro menu in the near future--high praise from him!

My third course of foie gras carried a $25 supplement, which only seemed like a lot until the plate was laid in front of me. I got a large cylinder of poached foie, with tokai gelee and toasted brioche with Meyer lemon preserves, and Mr. Thrasher paired that with a glass of the same tokai that was used in the gelee. Our server, Evan, added a few grinds of a special pepper to the plate, which went perfectly with the foie. The tiny Davoncrest microgreens added just enough tang--who would think little baby greens just sprouting their second set of leaves would have so much flavor? Mr. S let me taste his potato gnocchi, and I thought they were wonderful, too.

The freshness of all the ingredients serve to showcase Chef Armstrong's skill and creativity. The black sea bass had been line-caught on Thursday. The fresh baby asparagus (the size of matchsticks) on top added a bright crunchy note to the clean flavor of the fish. Sweetbreads--one of my favorite things to eat--were set off by wonderfully earthy braised carrots and carrot puree, fresh swiss chard, and house-made (?) bacon.

I loved the mock risotto of potatoes supporting the perfectly seared Diver scallop. The morels with the lovely rare venison were bright and earthy (OK, I'm running out of modifiers).

Even my cup of decaf at the end of the meal came in a French press that was pressed at the table. Although I usually drink my coffee black, I couldn't resist the tiny pitcher of steamed frothed milk that came with it. This morning, I'm enjoying a cup of Eve coffee from my own coffeemaker--not quite the same, but a nice reminder.

The service was organized and coordinated. Evan is clearly enthusiastic about the food he serves, and his knowledge of it is most impressive. It's one thing to be able to recite the components of the dish being served, but Evan talked about all the dishes on the menus with affection and familiarity. He told us all about Davoncrest farm, and was delighted that we had read about it on DR.com. Todd Thrasher took time to chat with us about his wine pairing decisions--decisions, by the way, that were spot-on throughout our meal.

Our cheese course was a quenelle of whipped brie de meaux with honey-soaked toasted hazelnuts. Mr. Thrasher brought us two glasses each with that course: a Lustau sherry to sip after bites of cheese and hazelnuts, and a lovely Spanish red to sip after bites of just the cheese.

If Mr. S weren't going to be away for most of April, I'd have already made another reservation. I can't wait to go back!

Boy, that was fast. Friday night, they were still soliciting name ideas!

I thought about suggesting "Vitamin C Bomb", but my thoughts were clearly influenced by a desire to get over last week's annoying respiratory bug.

I would seriously consider buying a time-share in that table. It's a great one!

Ahhhh, table 103 As for dinner, we had many of the same items so excellently described by ScotteeM. Along with the fois gras, sea bass and venison, one other item worthy of note is the unbelievable Hogshead burger. Apparently all edible parts of the head (keep in mind that not everyone's definition of 'edible' is the same -- this is basically everything but the skull!) are ground into a juicy burger topped with a fried quail egg and served in a toasted brioche bun on a bed of sauteed Savoy cabbage. Really delicious. The John Dory cooked en papillote with very thinly julienned fennel & carrots and a compound butter with several herbs was also one of the highlights. When the packet is opened, the pungent aroma from the variety of vegetables and herbs smells like walking into one of Dave's greenhouses. A tender, buttery and aromatic fish course -- awesome! Creative desserts, outstanding wine pairings (as always) and the new cocktail rounded out yet another excellent dinner. I suppose we'll be back....

Are he hogshead burgers available as a mini-burger plate at the bar?

I wanted to pass along a sincere thanks to Chef Armstrong, his wife, and his staff.

I booked the tasting room for my parents on their 25th anniversary, and although I did not accompany them on their gastric venture, I am so pleased to say that they were absolutely stunned regarding the beauty of the restaurant, the AMAZING service, the plating designs, and the chef’s wonderful creations.

I opted for the nine-course tasting menu, but (as I had anticipated), my father’s mid-western palate was instantly scared of what he faintly remembers as a “tripe dish.” (Cue my response, “to each his own, Papa”) They ended up getting the five-course which, accompanied by the gracious offerings of two extra courses (on the house), was plenty.

Now, you’ll have to excuse the lack of descriptions, but my mother and father have trouble remembering specifics. I did catch that my father enjoyed “the best venison he ever tasted” and my mother had “an amazing lobster bisque.” Other standouts include, a dessert with Meyers lemons described as “extraordinary” and “a great starter.”

I truly appreciate all the staff did to accommodate my parents on their special evening and extend my most heartfelt thanks and appreciation. I know they will be remembering this night for a long time.

DRT:

First, welcome to DR.com. Second, you need to get yourself down to Eve and sample it for yourself, if you have not been. And, great first post, keep 'em coming.